User blog:Carol of the bells/Days of Ruin (Revised): Chapter 2, part 3
Zen crouched behind a large rock, peering around its edge. A green hill rose before her, and at the top of the hill, a great Wyvern was perched, surveying the savannas before it. Several monsters wandered around it, dwarfed by its incredible size. Sunlight glanced off its blue scaly hide, betraying no weakness in its armor. She ducked back behind the rock, pressing her back to its surface. “I think I can take it,” She muttered. “You ‘think’?” Mifune’s voice scoffed in her mind, “You’re going to get yourself killed if you go up against that beast. Don’t be stupid.” Zen felt a mixture of surprise and irritation at the sound of his voice. Mifune never voiced any sort of interest in her affairs, positive or otherwise. Now comes the one moment he finally speaks up, and he’s insulting her. “It is indeed a huge beast,” She muttered in reply, “But perhaps this is just the kind of foe I need to face in order to prove myself. For all I know, this is the key to going back home.” He scoffed. “Home? Home to what? One thing I’ve never understood about you is your incessant need to return to that place. Your family is broken. There is nothing waiting for you there.” “Good thing I don’t need you to understand what I want, then.” “What you want? What you want is to earn your father’s seal of approval. What you want is for things to be the way they used to be.” His tone grew angry as he continued. “The problem with that, fool, is it can never be the way you remember. Your father’s standards will always be out of your reach. The affection you seek is not waiting for you there.” “Silence!” Zen snapped, “I have heard enough of your ramblings.” But he was right, wasn’t he? Wasn’t she doing all this, risking life and limb, just so her father would finally one day accept her? So that maybe things could be as they once were? An image flashes through her mind. No, a memory. A woman with long white hair, fair skin, and kind green eyes. A familiar woman. Her mother. Dead. Nothing would ever be the same as long as she was not with them. The cause of her death was the main divide between her and her brother, Ko. They were the only two witnesses of her death ten years ago, but neither could remember how it happened. Despite this, Ko seemed convinced that she was the cause of their mother’s demise. They had all been so close to their mother. Father had been a different man, from what her brothers told her. She wished she could remember. She wanted those days to return. Suddenly, a shadow was cast over her, and she felt a massive presence from behind. She turned her head, slowly. The Wyvern loomed above her, its maw slightly parted in a low, vibrating growl. For a moment, she didn’t even dare to breath. Then, its jaw opened, and it roared, loud and terrible. Zen rolled away as its head dove down to devour her. She came up in a crouch and flung a crystal spire at it. It bounced off its hide uselessly. Its red eyes flared in anger, fixed on her. She cried out as it beat its enormous wings, knocking her over. It took to the sky, flying up until its whole body seemed to cover the sun. Then, a voice sounded from its open jaws as it spoke: “Dragon Voice.” Rays of white light began to shower down from the sky. Zen shielded herself from the attack, squeezing her eyes shut to keep from being blinded. Her shield cracked and then shattered, and she felt her back hit the ground. The Wyvern was diving down for another attack. She leapt to her feet and outstretched her hand. A crystal rod formed from her palm, then widened at the end, becoming a spear. She threw it with all of her strength. The dragon rolled through the air as it whistled by, but the edge pierced its wing. It bellowed in pain, hitting the earth, coming up briefly, then crashing to the ground, tearing up the terrain as its momentum carried it several feet. By now, Zen realized she was surrounded by other monsters from the nest. A Pegasus pawed at the ground and snorted angrily. Then it bowed its head down, aiming its horn at her and charging. She easily leapt out of the way of the direct attack. A Cait Sith pounced at her from the right, teeth barred. It swung at her, and she lifted her arm to defend herself. Its talons tore through her skin, drawing red streaks of blood. She created a crystal blade and swung it, killing the beast. Suddenly, a pair of jaws snapped at her, and she spun around as the Wyvern pushed itself up from the earth, its head rearing back, ready to strike. Zen brandished her blade and rushed forward, dodging its attack. She swung the sword, but it merely glanced off of its hide. Its only unprotected body parts were probably its wings and its underbelly, but it stayed low to the ground, seemingly aware of this. She leapt over its head and onto its back. Not possessing a long neck, it was unable to twist around and snap its jaws at her. Instead, it rolled, hard. Zen dove in the opposite direction, slashing at its exposed abdomen. The blade cut, but not deep enough. It came up on all fours and swung its tail. She blocked with her sword, but the force of the blow knocked her over. She let the momentum carry her away before she leapt to her feet. They circled each other, slowly. The Wyvern’s tongue flickered in and out of its maw, like a serpent. Then, its mouth opened, breathing a torrent of light at its opponent. Zen spun away from the attack and struck her sword against the ground, creating a growing wave of crystals sprouting from the earth. As the ever growing wall of crystal rushed forward, the Wyvern launched another breath attack, shattering them. Zen leapt through the falling debris and swung her crystal-covered fist. The dragon’s head snapped to the side as her attack connected with its scaled skin. It twisted its neck around and countered with a mighty snap of its jaws clamping firmly around her crystalized arm. It whipped its head to the side, hard, flinging her through the air. She grunted as she hit the ground, tumbling across the grasslands. She dug her feet into the earth, and crystals sprouted from her heels as she slid to a halt. The Wyvern snorted angrily, and rumbled towards her. Suddenly, something happened. At first, Zen didn’t know what it was because it happened so fast. But after the Wyvern’s head toppled to the ground and its body followed shortly after, she realized there was a man wielding a large blue halberd. He wore armor, and his hair and eyes were also blue. His weapon was covered in the Wyvern’s blood. He must have slayed the beast. All this happened in a few short seconds. After the situation set in, she reacted on instinct, swinging her arm and flinging an attack at him. He swung his halberd and shattered the crystal, leaping back and taking a defensive stance. “Who are you?” Zen demanded, irritated that she had been interrupted. “Are you the one whose been destroying the monster nests?” He asked, ignoring her question. She narrowed her eyes, unsure if she should reply. “If you are speaking of the nest in the Cave of Flames, and the water nest south of that...then yes.” “You caused quite a stir back at the Summoner’s Hall.” Zen recalled the conversation she had heard back at the tavern between the soldier and her deranged cousin. For a brief moment she felt herself swell with pride. This man saw her as a threat. He glanced behind her. “I don’t suppose you knew about the village over there. The people are pretty scared.” She turned her head. Sure enough, shards of her crystal littered the ground around the village gate. She even saw the crystal spear she had vaulted at the Wyvern. “What about it?” She asked the blue-haired man. “You could have hurt some people.” “That was not my concern. However, if it satisfies you, I did not know it was there.” He gripped his weapon. “Well, now that you know, you might consider stopping all this and going home.” Her gaze darkened and her countenance faltered. “I cannot go home. Not until I’ve found what I’m looking for. And your mission is to stop me, is it not?” He let out a heavy sigh. “That’s too bad. It’s going to make my job a little bit harder.” Zen took a step back, readying herself in a stance. “You wish to fight?” He looked at her sternly. “If I don’t have to, I won’t. You are only a child, and I won’t kill you.” She scowled. “You intend to stop me. I won’t just stand by and let that happen. You may think of me as a child if you wish, but…” Her hand radiated with light energy as a crystal blade began to form. “You will still bleed.” The blue-haired man brandished his spear. “You don’t have to do this. I don’t want to fight.” He was starting to sound desperate. Zen didn’t respond as she dashed forward, swinging her sword. The warrior blocked the attacked easily, and side-stepped without parrying. Zen noticed that he missed the opportunity, and pressed her attack. “If you don’t fight me,” She shouted at him, “I’ll kill you!” He continued to block her attacks without countering. Zen swung her hand through the air, and a volley of crystals were launched at the warrior. He attempted to dodge, but was cut deeply in his arm. The rest glanced off his armor. He saw the red running down his arm as the blood began to soak his sleeve. He looked up at Zen. “…Fine.” Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet trembled slightly as a gust of Aether energy swept up around him. Zen involuntarily took a step back, her carnal fear almost taking over her body as she felt her knees tremble in response to the sudden display of power. She couldn’t run, not now. A ring of water sprang from the ground around the warrior’s feet and quickly swept up around him in a flurry of waves. He swung his weapon in a wide arc, conducting the water to spread out and rush towards Zen in a torrent of wind and water. Zen leapt back to create some distance between her and her foe. Planting her right foot firmly in the ground in front of her, she let the Aether energy build up in her hands before clapping them together. A fierce wind cut through the air as water collided with light energy, quickly crystalizing all around them. The soldier leapt over the growing spires and brought his halberd down, hard. The summoner fended off the attack by manipulating the crystals around her to arch above her. The weapon glanced off the jagged sapphire edge, the sound of the metal ringing across the plains. She drew in a breath as she felt adrenaline course through her veins. Maybe this was it. Maybe a fight with another human was all she needed to prove herself. *** Lin could only stare at the semi-transparent screen before her eyes as she felt sweat trail down her face. Another monster nest had spiked with Aether energy before it disappeared into smaller dots; this indicated that the monsters had been scattered, not completely destroyed. That wasn’t what had her gawking at the screen, though. Merely moments later, another dot had appeared on screen in the same place, this time blinking white. Then blue. Then white again. Two different types of Aether were occupying the plains. She didn’t have to guess to know that it was Karl and the rogue summoner. She had tried contacting him on the radio, but the immense waves of Aether were blocking the signal. She leaned back in her chair and covered her face with her hands, letting out a loud, frustrated groan. Some of the other workers glanced her way curiously before returning to their work. Lin knew she shouldn’t be worried; Karl could take care of himself. He was strong. She also knew he was too chivalrous for his own good. He wouldn’t kill the rogue, not if he didn’t have to, and she was afraid that whoever he was fighting would exploit that. This was someone who was able to destroy two class-C nests. They were most likely a summoner, otherwise they couldn’t have done it on their own. Judging by the colors on the map, no units had been summoned yet. She felt her fingers twitch over the intercom button, ready to radio him as soon as there was a signal. “What are you looking at?” Lin let out a startled shriek of surprise as she jumped out of her chair, only to land back in her seat roughly. “S-Seria?!” The brunette swordswoman stared at her, unamused, and slightly annoyed. “What are you watching?” She repeated. Lin scowled at her when she received no apology, turning her attention back to the screen. “Karl engaged the rogue summoner about five minutes ago.” “And they’re still fighting?” She asked in disbelief. “Yes.” She raised her brow. “Is he holding back, or something? Why hasn’t he just finished the fight already?” Lin sighed. “You know him.” Seria clicked her tongue in disapproval. “He’s going to get himself killed.” Her red eyes fixed on the pulsating dots of color on the map. “Hey, that summoner is actually pretty strong, too.” “I know,” She threw up her arms in exasperation, “That’s what I was watching. When I was watching the monster nest, I couldn’t even distinguish that person’s Aether, but now…” She looked at the screen. Instead of switching colors, the two dots had separated themselves. “It’s like they’re…motivated.” “What do you mean?” “Like they’re fighting more desperately.” The stared at the map in silence. Then, Seria turned for the door. “H-hey, where are you going?!” She waved the tech support off. “Someone has to go look after that fool, it might as well be me.” “You know, he can take care of himself, you shouldn’t be so worried about him.” She spun around, face red, “I’m not worried! You’re the one who can’t take your eyes off the screen, i-idiot!” “I’m tech support, it’s my job to watch the screen!” The brunette huffed angrily, stomping out of the room. “Just don’t get distracted,” Lin shouted after her. “Karl will probably need some help if this goes on,” She muttered. *** There was something dull about fighting a monster. Most of them were mindless, predictable, and while formidable, they tended to be underwhelming. Their only advantage was their numbers. But humans—humans, on the other hand. There was something different, something exhilarating. To predict another human, the battle would have to drag on and on. One had to decide how much energy to expel before finding their enemy’s weakness. There was strategy, skill, and cunning involved. That’s what a certain warrior was feeling now, as he battled the blue-eyed summoner. The adrenaline coursing through him was almost too much. His body was moving, reacting without him telling it to. Everything was happening too fast to see, but just slow enough to barely think. The Aether overflowing, he could feel it—from his hands, his feet, his head, his entire body. It was intoxicating, overwhelming. This was a feeling Karl had learned to temper, to use to his advantage, and to control. As he fought his opponent, he did not feel the same thing from her. No, her aura was unrefined and sporadic. His goal wasn’t to kill her, but to disable her. He would avoid spilling blood if he could, but her head-on attacks were making it difficult. Though her defense was relatively weak, she was quick and agile. With a flick of his hand, a blast of water shot out at the summoner. It found its target, knocking Zen onto her back. She grunted, and quickly leapt back onto her feet. Stumbling slightly, she countered by launching a great spiraling crystal towards him. Hefting his spear up, he swung down and cut through the crystal, the two giant halves falling on either side of him with a mighty crash. Zen dashed forward while his weapon was still in the ground. Blue crystal grew around her fist, and she came at him with a right hook. His head snapped to the side as the punch connected easily with his temple. She drew her leg back, and it crystalized as she pivoted around for a round-house kick. He caught her leg in his palm before the attack landed, pushing her back. She slid across the ground. Crystal quickly sprung up to meet her hand as she grabbed onto it to keep from falling. The smell of iron filled her nostrils. She looked down to see that she was bleeding from several places—no deep wounds, as far as she could tell. She looked up and glowered at Karl. “Stop…” “What?” “Whatever you’re doing,” Zen spat at him, “Just fight me!” His brow furrowed. “I told you, I won’t kill you.” Her knuckles turned white as she clenched her fist. “Then what’s the point…? If you don’t kill me, then I’ll kill you. Do you really think you’ll walk away without shedding blood?” A small smile played on the corner of his mouth. “A good friend once told me, “Only the greatest warrior can win a battle without drawing his sword.” Zen scoffed. “Then your ‘good friend’ must not know how battles are fought.” “If anyone does, it’s him.” “Enough,” She stood tall (Though she was still significantly shorter). “Battles are fought with weapons, not words.” She pressed her hands together then spread them apart, spawning a crystal blade. She grasped it by its hilt and pointed it at the warrior. “My father taught me that.” His smile faded as he brandished his spear. “That’s a shame.” She was the first to move, sprinting forward. They clashed, the haunting sound of metal and crystal ringing across the plains. Karl fended off blow after blow, while Zen barely dodged his defensive attacks. They weren’t evenly matched—the only thing keeping Zen alive was Karl’s hesitation to kill her. She knew this, and she despised it. She could hear her father’s mocking voice, saying, “Now, now, you can’t even finish a fight that you started? Zen, how shameful. And you wonder what you’re lacking. It’s obvious. You lack commitment. The will to follow through.” “The will to kill.” She dodged another on-coming water attack, but it managed to tear into her arm. She hissed in pain, and countered. It was true, that despite all of her talk of death, she had never actually taken a human life. Perhaps this was her chance. She dove forward and swung up, her blade cutting through flesh. Karl quickly jumped away, though not without injury. A gash in his leg spoke red, scorning him for his carelessness. He winced as he pressed his hand against the wound, though there was little he could do as the blood poured over the crack in his armor and soaked his clothes. She didn’t give him time to rest as she followed through with another attack. Again, and again, and again, she pushed him back, slowly beginning to gain the upper hand. She was close, so close to victory. Her hands moved through the air. Five crystals appeared, orbiting around her. “Lantern Flash,” She chanted. Beams of light shot out of the crystals. Karl moved quickly, managing to dodge the attack, and leaping forward, he swung his halberd. Zen didn’t have time to move, or even realize what was happening. Pain coursed through her body. Something was wrong, very wrong. She looked down, eyes wide as she saw a growing dark line lying across her abdomen. The stain quickly grew. She was losing blood fast, so fast. She staggered back, her consciousness already beginning to abandon her. Grasping her stomach and breathing hard, she collapsed to her knees. “L-Lancia,” She rasped, calling to her healer, “…come…” Silence swept across the plains. Zen’s desperation grew. “Lancia, y-you need…to heal…me…” “…I’m sorry, Zen, the unit finally replied. But…If you go on anymore, he’ll kill you. Please, just retreat, and I’ll—“ “Are you listening?!” her voice rose to a scream, “I need you now! Come!” “…Zen…” A cold sweat gathered over her skin. “If you do not heed me, there will be consequences,” She threatened, though her trembling voice gave her away. “I’m sorry.” A hollowness suddenly overtook Zen. Her unit was abandoning her, the one time she was asking for help. Her body trembled as she was consumed by fear and anger. Karl watched from where he was as the summoner stopped moving, a blank stare in her eyes. He approached slowly to where she was kneeling. A choked cough escaped her throat as she struggled to breathe through the pain. “…Well?” She strained to lift her head and glare up at him. “…hurry up…and finish me…” Despite everything, Karl gave a sigh. “How many times do I have to say it? I’m not going to kill you.” “Then are you going to let me bleed to death while you watch?” She paused to take a labored breath. “Is that what you want?” He ignored her question and looked up at the village in the distance. “You’re bleeding pretty fast. I’ll see if there are any healers in the town—“ “Stop toying with me!” Zen screamed at him, “You defeated me, so hurry up and kill me!” Karl’s eyes were widened slightly with surprise out her outburst. For a moment, neither of them said anything. Then, without another word, Karl turned his back to her and began walking away. Zen didn’t have a chance to see where he was going. The world around her began to spin as she fell forward. Reality felt distorted as she felt the impact of the ground long before she perceived collapsing on the grass. For a long while, she felt dead. � Category:Blog posts